Obese Women Have More Aggressive Breast Cancer
A study at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has revealed that overweight or obese women with breast cancer have more aggressive cancer and lower survival rates.
Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, states that “the more obese a patient is, the more aggressive the disease.” Dr. Cristofanilli is an associate professor of medicine in the Department of Breast Medical Oncology at the University of Texas.
The researchers observed 606 women with locally advanced breast cancer. The women were categorized by body mass index into three groups: normal/underweight (BMI < 25), overweight (25 <= BMI < 30), or obese (BMI >= 30).
After five years, the overall survival was 56.8 percent of obese women, 56.3 percent of overweight women, and 67.4 percent of normal weight women. After ten years, the survival rate was 42.7 percent of obese women, 41.8 percent of overweight women, and 56.5 percent of normal weight women.
The rate of inflammatory breast cancer, which has been shown to have worse outcomes than non-inflammatory breast cancer, was 45 percent among obese women, 30 percent among overweight women, and 15 percent in women with normal weight.
The risk of breast cancer recurrence was also found to be higher in obese or overweight women. After five years, 50.8 percent of obese women reported a recurrence, but was only 38.5 percent for normal weight women. After ten years, the rate of recurrence was 58 and 45.4 percent in obese and normal weight women, respectively.
These are pretty scary results. It really shows that people need to take care of themselves.
Reference: American Association for Cancer Research
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